mom — Page 19

Dollhouse: Kitchen & A Shabby Sofa

October 22, 2011 at 10:41 am by Claudia

I found the sweetest wallpaper for the dollhouse kitchen. It arrived yesterday. So what was I doing last night when it was really too late to be doing it? You guessed it.

Not the best lighting this morning, but I’ll take more photos later in the afternoon. The pattern is of pink roses with a light robins egg blue on a creamy background. Sweet and old-fashioned – just the way I wanted it. This is the first room in which I’ve also used beadboard. There will be more. I started to add a chair rail, but until I decide where cupboards and appliances will be, that’s all I can do for now. Don’s reaction last night? “I want to live there!” Sorry, Don, no boys allowed.

It’s not perfect. Despite my best intentions, sometimes the trim is a bit crooked, sometimes a bit of glue gets on the wallpaper (rather like our for-real house.)

But, gosh darn it, I’m having such fun with it all.

The reality of my life lately is one of sadness, worries and tears. That’s just the way it is at this point in my life. My parents consume my thoughts. My mother will never be able go home again. She is getting weaker by the day. My father cries when he speaks to me on the phone, all the while trying to cope with his new reality. I need to find a job as there are no coaching jobs on the horizon. These are the facts. So I try to snatch some joy wherever I can find it. My little dollhouse provides a wonderful, magical escape where I can imagine and create and play. Surely that is good for the soul.

Isn’t this gorgeous? It arrived in the mail yesterday – all the way from Italy. Flora, who is a talented miniaturist and has an Etsy shop and a blog, made it for me. I had discovered it on Etsy but it was reserved for another customer. When I asked Flora if she would make one for me, she answered with a resounding yes and here it is. Since the living room will be a bit more formal, in a shabby sort of way, I thought this sofa fit the bill.

Etsy is a wonderful source for handmade miniatures. There is so much talent out there! Thank you, Flora.

I plan on searching eBay for another one of these chests because I want to put it in two places and we all know that is impossible. I want it here, under the stairs. I also want it in the bedroom. So, I simply have to find one more. I’m not crazy about the fabric on the chair, so I will be recovering it when I find just the right look.

Anyone want to join me for a cup of tea on a Saturday morning?

Charlie the Tuna

October 6, 2011 at 6:03 pm by Claudia

When I was in college, still living in the dorm, a package arrived for me one day. I didn’t get many packages. I lived close enough to home that I managed a weekend home at least once a month and my mom would load me up with treats to take back to the dorm. She sent letters and newspaper clippings in the mail, but no packages.

When I opened it, I discovered that Mom had sent me something totally unexpected. Whimsical, even. We were a family on a very tight budget and practical always won out over whimsical. She had ordered it specially for me. It was a Charlie the Tuna watch. It was just the sort of thing I was drawn to – a little off-beat, a lot whimsical. She knew that about me. I loved it.

For those of you who are too young to remember, Charlie the Tuna was the star of Starkist Tuna commercials. And because Starkist took only the best tuna, Charlie was always turned down, hence, the “Sorry, Charlie”at the end of each commercial.

Well, I wore that watch all the time. And then, as the years passed, I forgot about it. About a week or so ago, I found it tucked away in a box with my Alpha Psi Omega pin (a college drama thing) and a little straw hat brooch that my great-aunt had made. My mom is on my mind all the time, as you know, and seeing the watch again brought back so many memories. It no longer had a watchband. Not even sure whether it had a battery or was a wind-up watch, I took it to our local jeweler. Turns out it was a wind-up watch and it needed a complete overhaul. Yesterday, I went to pick it up and had the jeweler add a watchband that I had stashed away in my jewelry box.

I don’t want to take it off. It reminds me of Mom, the mom who has a great sense of humor and who I loved to hang out with. It reminds me of the days when I could make her laugh until she cried. That’s the Mom that bought this watch. This watch that I forgot about has become a priceless treasure.

Thanks, Mom. I love you.

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There’s still time to link up to Reality Shot Thursday. Just scroll down one post. I’d sure love to keep this little meme going. It’s a lot of fun!

Dad and Mom

September 28, 2011 at 6:00 am by Claudia

Mom and Dad – photo taken 17 years ago in San Diego

Today is my Dad’s 88th birthday. My mother had been scheduled to go home today, on his birthday. Yesterday he got the news that Mom has declined in the last few days (which we all knew) and that she isn’t strong enough to go home. She is being moved to the nursing home side of the facility.

Dad was inconsolable and it broke my heart to hear the despair in his voice. I think the prospect of Mom coming home was the only thing keeping him going. Most of yesterday was spent on the phone with my Dad and my sister.

In a perfect world, my parents would age with dignity and then quietly fade away at a grand old age.

But we all know this is not a perfect world.

I’ll be back later this evening with a post for Reality Shot – be sure to link up if you’re interested. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

Dollhouse: Kitchen & A Shabby Sofa

Charlie the Tuna

Dad and Mom

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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